www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

i walk a lot in the countryside and have taken an interest in butterflies, can anyone recommend a small, pocketsize book that I can take with me to help in identifying butterflies.

Hi Grove and welcome to the site.
I would recommend Phillip's guide to butterflies by J.A. Thomas.
It's not the smallest book but it fits in my pocket. Besides giving you picture id's, it gives you side by side comparisons for species that look alike, and lots of other relevant information like flight times, habitat and food plants etc.
I hope that this helps.

Denise

edit. I just found this link.
http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/reports_thomas.php

I have collins Gem "Butterflies and Moths" a pocket sized guide to some of Europes commonest species, includes most Brisits species too has 240 of the most commonly found species of butterflies and moths in the British Isles. £4.99 here: http://www.booksfromscotland.com/Books/ ... 0007178520

I got this a few months ago http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COLLINS-NATURE-GU ... .m14.l1318

and have found it to be a great little book - slim enough to slip in one's pocket when out and about. Cheap as chips too!

I also have the Collins Gem book that Dave mentioned - it's good for quick ID's

thanks to all that replied to my request : i have checked some of them out at the local library first before buying. thanks again.